Windermere

An amazing day exploring the Windermere area. Got up for breakfast in the guesthouse dining room. Then headed down to Bowness where we boarded a large boat which carried us over to Wray Castle( about 40 minutes). The weather was overcast with some sunshine and very mild. The lake was still and the scenery was stunning. Many huge manor houses were visible in isolated spots around the shore and there was a variety of boats out on the water. The forest came down to the water’s edge and there were numerous little bays. Our boat pulled into the village of Ambleside and we immediately boarded a much smaller craft which took us another 15 minutes to Wray Castle. We wandered around the grounds before setting off on the 6km walk along the edge of the lake. The walk was flat and through beautiful forest with lake views all the way. No squirrels, otter, deer or foxes though which was disappointing! We stopped at a caravan site for 15 minutes to chat to the owner of one of the caravans. All good until we were just about running at the end to catch the small boat back over to Bowness 35 seconds late, which the driver made a big deal of! Otherwise would have had to wait another hour and a half. Had a coffee back in Bowness and then caught the bus to Ambleside Village. By this time it was raining and it only got worse while we were there. However we did manage to stay dry as we went in and out of the shops. We returned to Bowness in the bus at 4 30 and chatted to a lovely English couple (she had been to David Lange’s wedding as was a family friend of Naomi Lange) and then spent a frustrating hour trying to connect to the wifi. Gave up and headed into town where we ate at a Thai restaurant which was recommended-and such a lovely change from pub food. We then went for a lovely walk as the rain had stopped. Finished up having a lovely cocktail in a bar. All in all a beautiful day despite the weather.Read more